Editor’s Note: Matt Dollinger is a senior at Indiana University and is the former men’s basketball beat writer for the Indiana Daily Student. Please welcome him as our newest contributor on Inside the Hall. Email him at matt@insidethehall.com.

Like so many of you, walking into Assembly Hall brings back old memories for me.

I hear the familiar blast of the pep band and start humming the fight song. I smell the popcorn and begin to reminisce about games past. And then, I look down at my student ticket and remember, with much sadness, that I will have to climb roughly 27 flights of stairs to ascend the mountain that is section FF, row 7.

Nevertheless, sans Sherpa, I climbed, and witnessed IU’s 83-60 season-opening victory over Howard.

This season, I’m going to provide a little weekly analysis of the Hoosiers’ play (think Bill Walton, with more exclamation marks and less Grateful Dead references). Hopefully, my Hoosier hindsight can stir up some healthy discussion.

So to start, here are five things I took away from Friday’s game:

1. I Like The New Guys
And so does Tom Crean. IU’s seven new players combined to score 55 of the Hoosiers’ 83 points and showed a lot of promise. Curiosity does have me wonder though how Christian Watford, Maurice Creek and Jordan Hulls negotiated jersey number switches with their older teammates. Did Crean make the players shoot for it? And if so, how did Matt Roth lose?

2. Watford Is The Truth
What a treat Watford is going to be for Hoosier fans. A post presence with size, skill and athleticism does not come around every day. The 6-foot-9 frosh displayed a nice touch in the paint and showed he and Tom Pritchard could form into a nice 1-2 punch down low. With 14 points and 11 rebounds in his debut, Watford proved he is going to be more D.J. White than D.J. Mbenga.

(more…)

Remember Friday when I surmised that maybe, just maybe, this olive branch extended by the alumni might have healed the last wound standing between Bob Knight and IU? Yeah, about that.

“The Indiana University administration recently made a public announcement on a very private issue that I was being sent a check for $75,000 from alumni donations to cover expenses I incurred as an employee at Indiana University,” Knight said in a statement. “Indiana University has refused for nine years to take care of their obligation in this matter. I did not know until [Monday] that this check was sent to my attorney. Upon finding out about it, I immediately gave him instructions to send the check back.

“In all the years I coached at Indiana and elsewhere, I never accepted a thing from alumni and I don’t intend to start now,” Knight said in the statement. “This issue is with the university, not with the alumni.”

[ ... ]

“It would be amazing what this university’s legal office has spent over the past nine years avoiding this obligation as well as paying off all the broken athletic contracts they have made,” Knight said in the statement.

Did anyone else envision steam coming out of his ears as you read that? This does not sound like a man that’s coming back to IU with open arms on Nov. 6 for his Hall of Fame induction.  As some of you rightly guessed, the money gesture seems to have backfired. (Even if the alumni claim it had nothing to do with the upcoming HOF ceremony.) You can’t buy Bob Knight; if the man ever steps foot inside Assembly Hall again, it’s going to be on his terms.

(more…)

Close to 800 Indiana fans packed Nolan Fieldhouse in Sellersburg, Indiana on Saturday afternoon to watch the 2009-2010 Hoosiers practice and scrimmage.

The team took the floor just before 4PM and the event began with some opening words from Tom Crean, who thanked everybody for coming. One-by-one, the Indiana players and coaches introduced themselves to the crowd. A couple of players didn’t speak loudly enough, including freshman Christian Watford, who Crean told, “start over, freshman.” The introductions ended and Crean urged fans to cheer, boo and sit back and enjoy.

Drills

+ The practice kicked off with the players navigating their way towards the basket off the dribble and attempting to finish against two assistant coaches, Bennie Seltzer and Roshown McLeod, who were both waiting with football pads.

+ After taking a beating from the pads, the focus shifted to defense with Crean and Tim Buckley stopping a couple of different times for teaching opportunities: “Be active, be active, be active,” “Hands up on every catch,” and a question for Bawa Muniru and Tijan Jobe after both were beaten by manager Michael Santa, “How does this guy get past two seven-footers?”

Scrimmage

+ Teams were split up as follows: Red: Kory Barnett, Jeremiah Rivers, Daniel Moore, Steven Gambles, Jobe, Tom Pritchard, Watford, Maurice Creek. White: Matt Roth, Muniru, Brett Finkelmeier, Jordan Hulls, Bobby Capobianco, Derek Elston, Devan Dumes, Verdell Jones.

(more…)

Yesterday, the Herald-Times reported that anonymous donors hooked Indiana up with $75,000, which will be used to reach a lawsuit settlement with Bob Knight, the last of such unresolved disputes between the former coach and the university.

The agreement was spelled out in a memorandum drawn up by the Indianapolis law firm of Ice Miller LLP and signed last week by representatives for IU and Knight.

It is believed the move is in reference to a lawsuit the former IU basketball coach filed against the university, arguing that IU failed to represent him in a lawsuit filed against him, while he was an employee of the university, by former assistant coach Ron Felling.

The timing of this sure seems coincidental, eh? The Hall of Fame induction ceremony Knight will be honored at is next month, and this money suddenly appears out of the blue? Smells of someone really wanting Knight to come back to Assembly Hall, trying to pull a few last strings so the old coach breaks down and enter the house he built one more time. But here’s what’s interesting, there was actually some wording in the memorandum that said: “Specifically, the resolution of this matter creates no obligation for Coach Knight to participate in the upcoming induction into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame. The choice whether to attend or not to attend the induction ceremony is completely up to Coach Knight and has nothing to do whatsoever with the resolution of the litigation.”

Even if that’s the case, this is still an olive branch extended to the former coach. And if this is the last of the disputes between the former coach and the school — at least legally — it’s clear IU has done much to gain favor with him. There’s a whole new administration on board that wants to honor Knight. There are no more ill feelings from the university’s end. They simply want to publicly recognize his legendary run at the helm of the Hoosiers.

But for as much as IU has done, it really doesn’t matter. This is Bob Knight. He dances to the beats of his own DJ. If he doesn’t show up, it wasn’t for a lack of effort by IU. It’s because, as always, he does it his way. Even if that way is stubborn and petulant.

When Indiana fans packed Assembly Hall Friday night for the kick off of the 2009-2010 men’s basketball season, most probably weren’t expecting the following events to transpire: The return of the mop lady. A delivery of a sub by Subway spokesman Jared Fogle. A scrimmage against Straight No Chaser. A heart felt mention and hug from Tom Crean for Wes Hovis, an 82-year old fan recently diagnosed with stomach cancer.  And an appearance by key 2012 North Central recruit D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera in the north end bleachers.

Let’s have a rundown of the night that was Hoosier Hysteria, shall we?

+ Martha the cleaning lady is back: Well, not the original Martha. But a suitable replacement. One of the evenings loudest ovations went to Sheila Stephen, who Crean gave credit to the wife of former Herald-Times sports editor Bob Hammel for helping bring to Hysteria.

+ Bring in the sub for Straight No Chaser: In the midst of a scrimmage between the team and Bloomington based a cappella group Straight No Chaser, Crean called for a sub. (Straight No Chaser won, by the way.) Jared Fogle, everyone’s favorite Subway spokesperson, was happy to oblige and met Crean decked out in Indiana gear with a sub in hand.

+ Meet Wes Hovis: The most memorable moment of the night was Crean’s comments about 82-year old Muncie resident Wes Hovis. Despite recently being diagnosed with stomach cancer and asked by his doctor not to attend Friday’s festivities, Hovis showed up and Crean told his story which drew a large round of applause. “Wes Hovis is in this building with the program that he loves,” Crean explained. “And that is why it’s Indiana, Wes, that’s why it’s Indiana.”

(more…)

Hoosier Hysteria is on the horizon and it’s time for Inside the Hall’s player-by-player breakdown of the 2009-2010 Indiana Hoosiers. We wrap up the player profiles today with Devan Dumes.

Devan Dumes led Indiana in several statistical categories a season ago: total points (344), points per game (12.7), 3-pointers made (59) and indefinite suspensions (1). Here’s a brief synopsis of his 2008-2009 season: he was Tom Crean’s most reliable option on offense and for a period in February, he was Crean’s biggest headache following an ejection for throwing elbows against Michigan State.

Dumes was at his best offensively in late January and early February when he averaged 19.6 points during a five-game stretch that included IU’s one conference win over Iowa. Unfortunately, his season-high 27 points against Iowa was preceded by an elbow to Goran Suton’s groin and an indefinite suspension that lasted two games. He apologized shortly after the incident, but struggled mightily in three of the final four Big Ten games, suffered a knee injury in the regular season finale and had surgery on his finger over the summer.

His role in 2009-2010 will be far different than a year ago: available shots and minutes won’t be as plentiful. He could find himself as a reserve because of Indiana’s added backcourt depth. Coming off the bench could actually be a positive for Dumes and for IU because his ability to provide instant offense and energy may be better utilized as a sub.

(more…)

Hoosier Hysteria is on the horizon and it’s time for Inside the Hall’s player-by-player breakdown of the 2009-2010 Indiana Hoosiers. Today: Tijan Jobe.

I don’t feel confident about much in my life. I’m wrong about a lot, and even the stuff I get right leaves room for doubt. But if there is something I feel wholly confident stating, it is that — and I say this without the slightest hint of exaggeration — the Hoosiers’ most important player in 2009-10 will be Tijan Jobe.

Of course, this should come as no surprise to any faithful Indiana basketball fan. If you paid attention last year, you saw the seeds of what should turn out to be a legendary IU basketball career begin to sprout. Jobe is a dominant big man, a versatile force on the inside, a veritable monster from end to end. Some players, if they’re big and strong enough, earn the nickname “Baby Shaq.” Little known fact: When Shaq first started playing basketball, they called him “Baby Tijan.”

Perhaps the highlight of the 2008-09 season was watching Jobe enter games at crucial moments and simply take over. Few players have that quality, but Tijan is one of them. It was a shame Jobe didn’t play more minutes last year, but one can understand why: Tom Crean clearly made the strategic decision to keep Tijan on the bench in an attempt — futile though it may have been — to keep Jobe’s profile low. In 2009-10, the Big Ten better look out. No such mercy will be granted. Jobe will be freed. And it will be spectacular.

(more…)